Rehberg ad campaign ‘exactly what’s wrong with Washington’

FACT CHECK: Millionaire congressman voted to increase debt limit 8 times

(HELENA, Mont.) -Montanans for Tester campaign manager Preston Elliott today released an online fact-check and the following statement after Karl Rove’s secretive organization Crossroads GPS released a new TV ad attacking Montana farmer Jon Tester, the only Senate Democrat who voted against the bailout of Wall Street, the bailout of the U.S. auto industry, and the bailout of Greece:

“The Big Oil and Wall Street executives responsible for wrecking our economy are already spending tens of thousands of dollars attacking Jon Tester because he stuck it to them with his votes against taxpayer-funded bailouts and handouts.

“It’s no surprise Dennis Rehberg is now asking his fellow Big Oil and Wall Street millionaires to try to cover up his record with a multimillion-dollar ad campaign 16 months before Election Day. This sort of thing is exactly what’s wrong with Washington, and Dennis Rehberg has been in the middle of that problem for far too long.

“No ad campaign will be able to shake Dennis Rehberg’s record of squandering a $128 billion surplus during his first year in office and raising the debt limit 8 times. He even cast the deciding vote when raising the debt limit by $450 billion. Dennis Rehberg also led his caucus in earmark requests before his party bosses said he had to be against them, he supported two wars without paying for them, he asked for stimulus funding after voting against it, and he even cut ribbons on stimulus-funded projects.”

A full fact-check is available online HERE.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DENNIS REHBERG…

  • Rehberg asked administration to help stimulus projects [Great Falls Tribune, 10/19/2010]
  • Rehberg cuts ribbon on federal stimulus project [KAJ-TV, 9/23/2010]
  • Rehberg earned the title of the Tea Party Caucus’ number one earmaker [National Journal, 12/2/2010]
  • Rehberg voted against ending taxpayer-funded handouts to Big Oil companies that profit billions [Missoulian, 5/19/2010]
  • Rehberg attended a fundraiser hosted by BP on the one-year anniversary of BP’s disastrous oil spill [Roll Call, 4/21/2011]

REHBERG’S RECORD OF VOTING TO INCREASE THE DEBT LIMIT:

  1. 2006: Rehberg Voted for Budget That Increased Debt Limit to $9.6 Trillion. [HCR376, Vote #158, 5/18/06]
  2. 2006: Rehberg Voted Against Avoiding Debt Limit Hike. [HR 4297, Vote 67, 3/16/06; CQ, 3/16/06]
  3. 2005: Rehberg Voted To Deem & Pass Debt Limit Increase Of $781 Billion [CRS, The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases, 1/10; HCR95, Vote #149, 214-211, 4/28/05]
  4. 2004: Rehberg Voted To Increase The National Debt Limit By $700 Billion [HRS 683, Vote 280, 6/22/04; CQ Today, 6/23/04; AP, 6/22/04]
  5. 2004: Rehberg Voted for Budget That Increased Debt Limit By $690 Billion [SCR 95, Vote #198, 5/19/04]
  6. 2004: Rehberg Voted To Increase The National Debt Limit By $800 Billion [S 2986, Vote 536, 11/18/04; Washington Post, 11/19/04]
  7. 2003: Rehberg Voted To Deem & Pass $984 Billion Increase In Debt Limit. [CRS, The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases, 1/10; HCR95, Vote #141, 216-211, 4/11/03]
  8. 2002: Rehberg Was Deciding Vote to Increase Debt Limit By $450 Billion After Spending Government From Surplus Into Deficits. On June 27, 2002, Rehberg voted in favor of S 2578, legislation increasing the public debt limit by approximately $450 billion. The House passed the legislation 215-214. It was the first time the U.S. Congress voted to increase the public debt limit after spending a budget surplus into deficits. [Congressional Research Service; S 2578, Vote 279, 06/27/02]

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CROSSROADS…

  • Crossroads GPS, a sister organization of the rightwing organization American Crossroads, is a secretive organization that does not disclose its donors [Bloomberg News, 6/24/2011]
  • But Crossroads is funded by the same wealthy “Wall Street financiers and oil tycoons” who funded the infamously false swiftboat ads in 2004. In fact, Crossroads received at least $10 Million From Swiftboat donors during the 2010 election cycle [Washington Post, 10/23/2010].
  • According to NBC News, Crossroads is “fueled by tens of millions of dollars in contributions from Wall Street hedge fund moguls and other wealthy donors.” [NBC News, 11/04/10]. Through June of 2010, 97 percent of Crossroads’ money came from four billionaires–two from the oil and gas industry [Salon, 7/23/10]. Last year, Crossroads received a check for several million dollars from a single donor, whom Crossroads declined to identify. [New York Times, 10/11/10]
  • Crossroads raised more than $70 million in 2010. But insiders expect Crossroads will spend more than $200 million in 2012 [LA Times, 12/12/10]. How will that money be spent? Crossroads plans an “anti-Democratic barrage of attacks ads” including thousands of TV ads, 40 million negative mail pieces, and 20 million phone calls [New York Times, 9/25/10].

A full fact-check is available online HERE.

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